Boys send three to section

Devin Schiltz blasts this shot out of a sand trap in the section tournament. The C/SG junior has qualified for the postseason event for the past two years.

Drew Stemper, section golf tournament

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Even though the Caledonia/Spring Grove boys golf team missed out on qualifying for the section tournament, three individuals did advance to the next round of post-season play.

C/SG finished third in an eight-team field at the Sub-section 1AA East Golf Tournament at The Bridges (par 71) in Winona on May 25, missing the team cut by 11 strokes.

First-place La Crescent and second-place Lake City brought in rounds of 354 and 370 respectively while the Warriors were third at 381. Rounding out the field were Cotter 394, Plainview-Elgin-Millville 409, St. Charles 413, Dover-Eyota 424 and Chatfield 469.

The top two teams and the top 10 scorers from the other squads qualified to advance to the section championship at Eastwood in Rochester.

Charlie Kretschmer of Cotter was meet medalist at 81, topping the next-best score by four strokes. Par for the challenging 6,157-yard course is 71.

For C/SG, junior Devin Schiltz tied for the fourth-best score of the day at 89. He made par nine times on the 18-hole course. Schiltz was joined by sophomores Drew Stemper (95) and Hunter Rud (96) on the list of section qualifiers.

Junior Sean Connor (101) tied two other competitors for the last qualifying spot. A three-way playoff with Nick Shanks of Plainview-Elgin-Millville and Ricky Alexander of Dover-Eyota ensued.

"Sean hit the best drive of the three (and) hit his second just short of the green," C/SG Coach Jeremy Leis reported. "Then he hit his chip long of the green and ended up making a 6 on the first hole at The Bridges. It was a one-hole playoff..." Shanks wound up winning the right to go to section on the par 4 hole.

For both Rud and Schiltz, 2013 marks a second-straight trip to section.

The Section 1AA Boys Golf Tournament at Eastwood Golf Club on May 29 was the final step towards the AA State Tourney, which begins June 11 at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.

Meet medalist honors were won by Anthony Brodeur, a senior from Shattuck-St Mary's who fired a blistering 69 at the par-70, 5,915-yard course.

Only the first-place team and the top five individuals not on that lineup advance from the section meet to the state tournament.

Also qualifying as individuals were freshman Matt Moskal of Cannon Falls, Kretchmer and Jacob Boe of Byron, and Jaden Theimann of Triton.

For C/SG, Rud shot 85, tying for 24th out of all 42 golfers competing. Schiltz fired an 87 while Stemper brought in a round of 92. The state tourney cut for individuals was 77.

Lourdes at 308 took the team title by two strokes defeating Shattuck-St Mary's (310). La Crescent (338) took third, followed by Lake City (357).

The C/SG boys were third in the TRC South Division at 7-3 and placed fourth among 11 teams at the conference tournament before the third-place finish at sub-section, closing with a season record of 13-11-1.